


For Old Times Sake

by azulaahai



Category: Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: F/M, Some angst, Western AU, Wild West AU, but with hints of fluff and crack lmao, some referenced sexual content, they're exes in the wild west, this is very stupid lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 19:43:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20431421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azulaahai/pseuds/azulaahai
Summary: He finally spotted her in the crowded saloon, and from across the room, through a haze of smoke and mixed emotions, their eyes met for the first time in over a year.





	For Old Times Sake

The saloon simmered with chatter. Vivenna tried to remain unseen as she sat in her booth in the far back corner, sipping a cup of something barely drinkable. The smell of smoke and a fish stew brewing in the kitchen filled her nostrils, and Vivenna fought a wave of nausea, surveying the room in an attempt to distract herself. There was nothing to do but wait. He would be here soon. Vivenna would not admit to the way her nerves flared when she thought about that fact.

The hour struck eight, and the saloon doors whipped open. A sharp intake of breath from Vivenna, and sure enough, there he was, as advertised: Vasher, hair as unruly as ever, dark eyes scanning the room. His punctuality threw her off. Back in the day, he was always at least an hour late. Vivenna had used to quip that she’d gladly marry Vasher, but that by the time he’d show up to the wedding, all guests would have left. The memory made her throat dry. It seemed so long ago, now.

He finally spotted her in the crowded saloon, and from across the room, through a haze of smoke and mixed emotions, their eyes met for the first time in over a year. Vivenna felt an involuntary shiver crawl up her spine. Vasher stared openly at her, his expression hard, closed. He looked her up and down with assessing eyes. Vivenna stiffened where she sat. It had been a hard year; the world had not been kind to her this year. Under his scrutiny, she relived every bruise and scar that he surely discovered, and became acutely aware of how long it had been since she’d had a bath. It was a rather inconvenient time for her to feel self-concious, but shame never was the most welcome of visitors.

Vasher’s face revealed nothing as he finally met her eyes again. They stared at each other for one, two, five seconds. Then Vasher turned, heading towards the bar, his back to her. Vivenna let out a breath through gritted teeth. He was going to do this the hard way, then.

She got up from her booth and started making her way across the room, the soft clink of her spurs and the thump of the heel of her boots accompanying her on her walk. Vivenna stared at Vasher’s back. Despite the gun in her belt and the knife strapped to her thigh, she still felt utterly vulnerable as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes were ice when he turned to look at her, and he recoiled from her touch. Vivenna was definitely not hurt by that. At all. Definitely not. Vasher clenched his jaw and regarded her in silence.

”What do you want?” he said, voice rough, when she didn’t speak. She was taken aback by his brashness. He’d responded to her telegram, after all. Agreed to this meeting. And she’d left a _year_ ago, so one could assume his initial hurt and anger would have calmed. But here he was, treating her as a bothersome fool who’d just barged into his bedroom. 

It was strange, she thought, looking at him without responding to his question. To be a stranger to someone you’d once known so intimately. Those eyes who now glared at her with contempt had once squinted at her in a sleepy smile in her bed in the morning. Those hands who now gripped the bar counter so tight his knuckles whitened had once roamed her skin. That beard he now kept strictly trimmed had once been more unkept, scraping the insides of her -

Vivenna cut her own thought process off, opting instead to respond to his question.

”I need your help. I know I’ve forfeited my right to ask for it -”

”Just tell me what the hell you need me for.” His tone was hoarse, and to a stranger might have sounded indifferent or harsh. But Vivenna had, as her inappropriate recollections surely proved, indeed known Vasher intimately, and she could hear the hint of emotion in his voice. It made her heart ache. She took a deep breath, the words seeming too dark, too heavy to utter in the hectic saloon. Vivenna braced herself.

”I - My sister is missing.”


End file.
